12/16/2023 - Rancho Bernardo Inn

By my recollection, concrete drainage ditches are often played as ground under repair.  I was a little surprised when the scorecard at Mission Trails indicated on the scorecard that they should be played as a lateral hazard.

I was in one on #8 today at RBI, and I checked the scorecard.  The scorecard says "Holes #1, 2, and 18 concrete channel is defined as an immovable obstruction."  On those holes, I thought that drainage ditch would play as a yellow hazard.  But there's nothing noted for hole #8, so I took an unplayable lie.

Digging through the official rules, the definition of Penalty Area includes a drainage ditch (even if not containing water).  So I guess I took the proper penalty (1 stroke), but for the wrong reason (penalty area versus unplayable lie).

12/9/2023 - Cottonwood (Ivanhoe)

The "leaf" rule came under discussion, as Cottonwood is presently covered in them.  I found an article on Golf Digest referencing model local rule F-14, which covers the scenario.  If this rule is in effect, you can get free relief from a ball lost among leaves.  The model local rule can be found here.

However, our club did not put this local rule in place, so it's just a lost ball.  For pace of play, we do have a lost ball local rule in place.  This local rule allows you to take a 2-stroke penalty instead of stroke and distance.  Rule E-5 at the same link.

A local rule that our club has adopted is the rule that allows relief from a dirt cart path.  Standard golf rules only allow relief from man-made cart paths.  That one also came up at Cottonwood.

12/7/2023 - Cottonwood (Ivanhoe)

Now that Cottonwood only has one course, I'm not sure why they keep the Ivanhoe course as part of the name, but I guess they still do.

Usually when your ball goes into a lateral hazard, at least you don't lose all of the distance from your previous shot.  Unless you hit a tree, and it shoots across another fairway into the penalty area.  Where it crossed the margin of the hazard was at least 75 yards further from the hole than where I had just played from.

So I can play my next shot from the same place, right?

Yes (thankfully).

Rule 17.1-d (1) indicates that you can take stroke and distance when you hit into a penalty area.  So my second shot went off the tree into the penalty area, so I dropped #3 in the same spot, and then hit my fourth up the fairway.  It was a bad hole.

I also had a gopher hole in my stance on one hole.  My ball was not impacted by it, but my stance was.  Per Rule #16.1-a (1) you get relief for your stance in an abnormal course condition.